The Inevitable Fall

INTRODUCTION:

We’ve been working our way through the book of Revelation and today we arrive at Revelation 18. I said last week that Revelation 17 was one of the more challenging chapters of the book of the Revelation. Honestly, though, chapter 17 has nothing on chapter 18!

Revelation 18 is the climax of a series of warnings that have been building in intensity.

Some have said Revelation is a tale of two cities: Babylon and Zion, the people of the beast vs the people of God. It’s a showdown of showdowns.

Like Zion, Babylon represents a geographical location as well as a religious idea. It’s both and.

We saw the spiritual dimension articulated in Revelation 17 and today we’ll see Babylon through a more literal and geographical lens. (Some distinguish “mystery Babylon” from “Babylon the Great… I think that goes too far.)

Imagine a City

When you hear the word Babylon I want you to imagine a city of sin; a center of godlessness and selfish ambition. The lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life - these things are all elevated in a place like Babylon.

When you think of a city like that… or even a nation like that.... what comes to you mind? Is it something past? Something future? Something close? Something far off?

Unfortunately, the identity of Babylon in Revelation 18 isn’t defined.

Some believe this to be a future city located in the Middle East.

Some think it’s a historical reference to the Roman empire (city of Rome.)

Some even suggest the illuminati or some reviving of the historical Babylon.

The truth is - we can’t really know for sure. But here’s what we can know from this passage. Whenever, wherever and however it happens, Babylon WILL CERTAINLY FALL.

Type / AntiType

The story of Babylon in Revelation 18 leaves us with core truth: the time for God’s judgment is SOON so the time for repentance is NOW.

Why would I say the time of God’s judgment is soon if the destruction of Babylon in Revelation 18 is still future? The reason is because the final future Babylon is patterned off of TYPES of Babylon that existed in the past and even exist today.

Earlier I asked you to imagine a center of godlessness, materialism and sensuality. A place came to your mind. Why is that? Because the spirit of Babylon is already at work in our world today.

We looked at this idea last week as well. When John talks about the beast or the antichrist he said it had seven heads. Those heads represented past, present and future expressions of the beast and his kingdom. The same dynamic is true of Babylon.

In theology this dynamic falls under the categories of type and antitype.

We use the word type all of the time. The word means to have similarity to an ideal or standard. Well in theology that perfect ideal or that future standard is called the antitype.

This is true of all sorts of things in the Old Testament: the temple, the sacrificial system, the prophets, the priests, the kings, all sorts of different symbols and the like. Those are all types that are pointing to a greater future fulfillment (aka antitype.)

What does that mean for us?

It means the fall of Babylon in Revelation 18 is important for us to pay attention to because the spiritual dynamics of that future Babylon are already active in our world today. So we must be on guard.

Today the time for God’s judgment is soon and the time for our repentance is NOW.

Let’s begin in Revelation 18:1-3.

Revelation 18:1–3 (CSB)

1 After this I saw another angel with great authority coming down from heaven, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2 He called out in a mighty voice:

It has fallen,

Babylon the Great has fallen!

She has become a home for demons,

a haunt for every unclean spirit,

a haunt for every unclean bird,

and a haunt for every unclean and despicable beast.

3 For all the nations have drunk

the wine of her sexual immorality,

which brings wrath.

The kings of the earth

have committed sexual immorality with her,

and the merchants of the earth

have grown wealthy from her sensuality and excess.

A Sad Song

You notice how the verses are all broken up into short little lines and the cadence of the reading kinda changes? That’s because Revelation 18 is a song. Or - to be more technical - a DIRGE.

Revelation 18 is a SAD song.

You know when you’re watching a movie and something really devastating or sad happens and a sad song starts to play in the background? (Usually Irish acapella.... that’s called a “dirge.”)

A dirge is a song of grief or lamentation sung a funerals or memorials. They were usually slow, solemn, and mournful. That’s what we have here.

But the mourning isn’t by God’s people for the death of the saints. The mourning is by the people of this world because of the fall of their queen.

That queen is Babylon the Great: an idolatrous, murderous and sin-laden city.

Sung By An Angel

Verse one says this funeral dirge is sung by an angel with “great authority coming down from heaven.” (some suggest it’s Jesus… probably not!)

This angel is impressive and powerful in that the whole earth is captivated by his message. The idea is that nobody can ignore this message. Nobody can deny that Babylon is gone.

The angel speaks about the fall of Babylon in the PAST tense even though it hasn’t yet happened. (in Greek this is called a proleptic aorist.)

John uses this kind of verb after the sixth seal as well when he says, “the great day of God’s wrath has come.” (Rev 6:17) God’s wrath doesn’t really manifest until later but it’s spoken of as if it’s already happened.

The reason the angel uses this kind of language is because the fall of Babylon is absolutely CERTAIN. Revelation 18 is a SAD song about the CERTAIN fall of a once powerful city.

He’s speaking about it as though it’s already happened because there is no possible world in which this kind of city DOESN’T FALL. God is not mocked. Whatever a person sows that’s what he’s going to reap. It’s a law of the universe.

Babylon MUST FALL.

An Ugly Picture

Verse two really paints a picture of how great the fall really was. Though Babylon might’ve started out with great dignity and strength… that dignity was soon replaced with degradation and corruption.

Now Babylon is a home for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, bird and despicable beast.

We don’t use the word ‘haunt’ much anymore but it means a dwelling place like a prison.) These beings are not living in a mansion. Not even a home. A prison, a cell, a place from which you cannot escape.

Unclean Animals

This picture of unclean birds and despicable beasts is a common OT picture of a city that’s been desolated. (Isa 34:11-15; 13:21-22; Jer 50:39; 51:37)

Unclean animals were unlawful to eat. Bottom feeders. Night crawlers. Clean up the mess of death and decay. They were nasty and dangerous for human consumption.

All of these pictures are used to convey the idea that Babylon has lost its glory. It’s the upside down. It’s a ghost down that’s been overtaken with the creatures of the night.

Babylon consistently put herself in contact with that which was contaminated and defiled. Now she has become a home for the same.

It’s a sad song about the certain fall of a condemned city.

Unclean Spirits

Add to that these unclean spirits and demons and it really paints a dark picture. The fact that these demons are “in prison” seems to suggest maybe they’re even there against their will.

In Jesus’ incarnation you see demons centralized in the towns that he would go. A similar dynamic seems to be taking place in this future “city of Babylon.”

As the world was preparing for the return of the king these demons got centralized in this city of sin bringing it lower and lower into hell.

Unholy Alliances

Revelation 18:3 shows that this corrupt city was forged by unholy alliances between Babylon and the rest of the world.

she convinced the nations to engage in her harlotry (or idolatry)

the kings of the earth to commit sexual immorality with her (idolatry)

and the merchants of the earth get rich off her sensuality and excess

NATIONS: Many commentators suggest those first two references to sexual immorality might be a play on the idea of spiritual prostitution/adultery (aka idolatry.) And so the idea is that the religious system of Babylon has infiltrated every nation on the earth (or many of them) and compromised them spiritually.

KINGS: The “kings of the earth” compromise their integrity to do the same. We don’t know exactly what this idolatrous system of worship will be but the political leaders from around the world will compromise themselves to promote it. They will sell out their own nations in an effort to satisfy their lusts.

MERCHANTS: Finally the merchants of the earth get rich off of Babylon. This is the same dynamic that happened with the kings and merchants of the earth in the OT with Tyre. (Ezekiel 27:12-36)

A Grave Warning

Given these unholy alliances and this ugly picture of a fallen city, God issues a grave warning for his people to flee Babylon in verses 4.

Revelation 18:4–8 (CSB)

4 Then I heard another voice from heaven:

Come out of her, my people,

so that you will not share in her sins

or receive any of her plagues.

5 For her sins are piled up to heaven,

and God has remembered her crimes.

6 Pay her back the way she also paid,

and double it according to her works.

In the cup in which she mixed,

mix a double portion for her.

7 As much as she glorified herself and indulged her sensual and excessive ways,

give her that much torment and grief.

For she says in her heart,

“I sit as a queen;

I am not a widow,

and I will never see grief.”

8 For this reason her plagues will come in just one day—

death and grief and famine.

She will be burned up with fire,

because the Lord God who judges her is mighty.

This sad song is followed by a grave warning to God’s people. The Lord is pleading with his people to flee this city.

If Satan feels at home then God’s people shouldn’t.

And yet, God wouldn’t have issued the warning if it’s didn’t apply to at least SOME of his people. There is an irresistible pull that Babylon can have on us - even Christians.

But that pull is a trap. It’s a false promise that fails to deliver.

Why Babylon is Attractive

I think deep down most Christians understand this but we can still be wrapped up in the allure of Babylon.

And it’s not just Christians who can get seduced. In Revelation 17 we saw that the false religious system of Babylon has authority over “many peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.” (Rev 17:15, 18)

Her influence is vast. Why is that? This passage actually gives us a series of clues. We saw similar types of clues in Revelation 17.

She exploits the desires of your flesh to disorder your love for God.

She exploits her social influence to normalize sin in the world.

She exploits her political power to silence any dissent.

There are all reasons why any Babylon grows in power and authority. But there are also a few others mentioned in this passage.

Addicted to Desire

The first is because human beings are addicted to “desire.”

Whether you call it pride or ego or selfish ambition. That insatiable appetite is lodged into every human heart because of sin. And Babylon feeds that appetite with sensuality and excess.

Did you notice in verse 7 that the core problem in Babylon was an effort to “glorify herself and indulge in sensual and excessive ways.”

We’ve talked before about how Satan plays on the desires of our flesh to disorder our love for God. At root, that lust is not just a desire for personal pleasure, it’s a desire to exalt “the self.”

Well, in Babylon, “it’s all about ME” and it’s “not about God.” It’s all about ME and not about OTHERS. It’s all about what I want to take not what I’m responsible to give.

That message is an ancient and enduring message. It’s as old as the Garden of Eden and it’s the bedrock of any and all godlessness in our culture or our individual lives.

In Babylon, satisfaction doesn’t come from knowing and enjoying the creator. Satisfaction comes from exploiting and indulging in the creation.

Politicians KNOW THIS. This is why the stump speeches are about free stuff and blaming the other instead of responsibility and serving the other. One gets the votes the other loses the election.

This message creates a culture of material indulgence. So long as you can keep the gravy train going, the larger and more powerful your city will become. And Satan knows how to keep that gravy train going.

Satan knows if people gorge their soul on spiritual junk food like materialism and godless ideologies that provoke pride and envy then he’ll numb the human longing for God in the human heart.

Allergic to Fear

So one reason Babylon grows is because human being are addicted to desire. We have an insatiable appetite to glorify ourselves.

The second reason Babylon gains influence is because human beings are allergic to fear. We naturally gravitate towards that which makes us feel safe.

Babylon preaches that safety:

You see in in verse 7 “For she says in her heart, I sit as a queen; I am not a widow, and I will never see grief.”

This great Babylon is prideful and presumptuous. She feed the ego AND she promotes a false security.

That’s always how sin works in our life, by the way. The longer you sin the blinder you get. Sin is like darkness. The further you walk away from the light the less visible true threats become.

That’s why people living in sin can become so arrogant and presumptuous. It’s why criminals EVENTUALLY get caught. And it’s why Babylon inevitably falls.

The Bible often talks about how during the end of days people will be saying “Peace and safety…” (1 Thess 5:3)

There will be a sense in which this end-times empire will assuage the doubts and fears of a world in crisis and will do so through lies and false promises of security.

The safety isn’t real. But the FEAR is real. And so long as you can quiet the fears the you can control the people.

How Babylon Falls

Verse 8 closes with the reality of God’s judgment. Thought Babylon had many days of false security and personal indulgence - eventually the party came to an end.

Verse 8 talks about plagues visiting her “in just one day.” Though Babylon thinks herself invincible, her fall will be swift and severe.

Death, grief and famine follow a judgment of God through fire.

The Babylon that once seems strong and invincible is now laid to waste by a TRULY MIGHTY GOD.

The Inevitable Outcome

Revelation 18 opens with a sad song followed by a grave warning that ends in God’s judgment.

God’s judgment is coming soon so the time for repentance is NOW.

Chapter 18 concludes with various different responses to the Fall of Babylon. These responses are broken up into three different groups.

The response of the Kings of the Earth.

The response of the Merchants of the Earth.

The response of shipmasters and sailors.

Let’s read them back to back.

Revelation 18:9–20 (CSB)

9 The kings of the earth who have committed sexual immorality and shared her sensual and excessive ways will weep and mourn over her when they see the smoke from her burning. 10 They will stand far off in fear of her torment, saying,

Woe, woe, the great city,

Babylon, the mighty city!

For in a single hour

your judgment has come.

11 The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo any longer—12 cargo of gold, silver, jewels, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; all kinds of fragrant wood products; objects of ivory; objects of expensive wood, brass, iron, and marble; 13 cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; wine, olive oil, fine flour, and grain; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and slaves—human lives.

14 The fruit you craved has left you.

All your splendid and glamorous things are gone;

they will never find them again.

15 The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand far off in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, 16 saying,

Woe, woe, the great city,

dressed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet,

adorned with gold, jewels, and pearls;

17 for in a single hour

such fabulous wealth was destroyed!

And every shipmaster, seafarer, the sailors, and all who do business by sea, stood far off 18 as they watched the smoke from her burning and kept crying out, “Who was like the great city?” 19 They threw dust on their heads and kept crying out, weeping, and mourning,

Woe, woe, the great city,

where all those who have ships on the sea

became rich from her wealth;

for in a single hour she was destroyed.

20 Rejoice over her, heaven,

and you saints, apostles, and prophets,

because God has pronounced on her the judgment she passed on you!

There’s just so much here that we don’t have time to really do it justice. So that we don’t get lost in the forrest, notice some commonalities between all three groups.

They Each Mourn

First, each group mourns greatly over the fall of Babylon.

The kings of the earth probably mourn because the idolatrous worship engaged in by Babylon was also engaged in by them. So the thing that made her guilty of judgment also rests over their heads.

The merchants & the shipmasters of the earth mourn greatly because they are no longer able to indulge in or exploit the excess of Babylon.

Her wealth was destroyed in a single hour. The gravy train ended!

If Babylon’s wealth is gone then the wealth of the rest of the world is gone because everybody was depending on her for sustenance. (that’s what makes some people think Babylon is America or DC or NYC)

The response of these three groups is a reminder that a life of sin is only fun for a season. Eventually the party ends.

The Each Stand Far Off

Not only do all three groups mourn, the other thing that is repeated over and over and over again is that “they each stand ‘far off.”

The kings and the merchants stand far off in fear of her torment.

Isn’t it interesting that in Revelation 17 it was the BEAST who ends up destroying Babylon - a beast that was formerly a partner and a friend.

Now these kings, merchants and sailor stand “far off” in that they’re unwilling to help or get involved with the fight because they themselves are too scared of the consequences.

Fair-weather Friends

One of the things I learned the hard way when I was running from God and living a sinful life was this principle.

A life of sin breeds fair-weather friends.

So many people are attracted to a worldly way of living because all of their friends are doing it. It’s fun to go out and party and have a good time and live it up… but what happens to those friendships when the music stops?

The friends have a way of scattering.

It works the other way around, too. When you stop living for this world and start living for God so many times your “so called” friends will bail on you. Why? Because the friendship wasn’t about you or even about them. The friendship was based on the sin. Take out the sin and end the friendship.

That’s the way ALL community works. It’s got to be grounded in something. It can either be grounded in the truth of God’s word and the love of Christ - true lasting community.

Or it can be based on the things of this world - the lust of the flesh/eyes/pride of life. That kind of community is temporary and shallow.

The Lord Jesus offers something better.

The Only Precious Commodity

It’s so interesting how John lists off all of these different precious commodities that will no longer be available now that Babylon is gone.

He makes the list that long for a reason. Some of these things are absolute necessities, some of these things were more along the lines of wants not needs. Commodities.

We’re thinking a lot about those things these days with the talk of food shortages, widespread inflation and international trade.

More and more people are talking about an economic CRASH. There are always people warning about the coming crash. Seasons like this make us feel uneasy and uncertain about our future.

But we don’t need to turn on CNBC to discover whether or not there’s going to be a crash. The Bible makes the reality of a crash ABSOLUTELY CLEAR.

It will be greater than the Great Depression, Greater than the 2008 recession and 10 times greater than the COVID crash of 2020.

When this crash comes you will sell GOLD (digital or physical) just for a bite of a morsel of bread.

And in that day you will realize the only TRULY PRECIOUS commodity that for life on this earth is genuine faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

That’s the only thing that’s going to last and get you through when the real crash comes.

He is the only one in whom REAL security is found.

He is the only one in whom TRUE satisfaction is found.

He is the one for whom our hearts were made and the one in whom we can find shelter and peace.

Only through Jesus can real community be formed and real salvation be found.

On the day of God’s judgment God’s people will REJOICE. Why? Because their endurance has brought about a great reward.

They endured the wrath of Satan. What cannot be endured is the wrath of God. Babylon will feel the full force of that wrath. God’s people, however, will be delivered from it all.

Never Again/ Conclusion

Revelation 18 opens with an angel singing a sad sad song. That was followed by God giving a grave warning to his people. That was followed by sinners grieving the consequences of their sin.

The chapter closes with a mighty angel executing the judgment of God.

Revelation 18:21–24 (CSB)

21 Then a mighty angel picked up a stone like a large millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,

In this way, Babylon the great city

will be thrown down violently

and never be found again.

22 The sound of harpists, musicians,

flutists, and trumpeters

will never be heard in you again;

no craftsman of any trade

will ever be found in you again;

the sound of a mill

will never be heard in you again;

23 the light of a lamp

will never shine in you again;

and the voice of a groom and bride

will never be heard in you again.

All this will happen

because your merchants

were the nobility of the earth,

because all the nations were deceived

by your sorcery.

24 In her was found the blood of prophets and saints,

and of all those slaughtered on the earth.

Did you notice the repeating theme? Never again. Never again.

Never again will a Babylon rise to power.

Never again will music play in her streets.

Never again will there be buying and selling.

Never again will there be marriage or love.

Never again will there be light or life.

Twice the image of a “millstone” is used. A millstone was a gigantic stone that was rolled around on grain to grind it into flour. When times were good and the harvest was plentiful the sound of a millstone could be heard in the city.

That sound is no more. Why? Because the life is gone, the wealth is gone, the prosperity is gone, it’s all been destroyed.

Instead that large gigantic millstone is tied around Babylon’s neck and it is thrown into the sea.

Imagine what would happen if you took a huge rock like that and threw it into the middle of the ocean. What would happen?

It would sink to the absolute bottom and nobody would probably EVER SEE IT AGAIN.

That’s what’s going to happen to Babylon the Great. That’s what will happen to anyone who persists in sin.

There is coming a day when there will be no more “second chances.” God’s mercy is not indefinite but His judgment is inevitable.

The clock is ticking. The time will come. Will you be ready for that day?

Will You Be Ready?

The time of God’s judgment is soon. The time for our repentance is NOW.

Salvation or desolation. Those are the only options.

The only truly precious commodity is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Is your faith in Jesus or is your faith in Babylon?

Certainly Babylon has its allure. It feeds our addiction to pleasure and pride. It makes promises that we’ll be safe and secure in her arms.

It even affords us great material prosperity. But, as we see in this text, that prosperity is often produced through unjust oppression and human slavery.

You can have it all - says Babylon - if you’ll just reject God and follow me.

In response our Lord says,

Mark 8:36–38 (CSB)

36 For what does it benefit someone to gain the whole world and yet lose his life? 37 What can anyone give in exchange for his life? 38 For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Let us not be people who are ashamed at the coming of our Lord. Instead, let us stand strong and endure the oppression of the beast even as we wait for the glorious appearing of our Lord.